Ladder with transport wheels



Aug. 13, 1968 F. M. GLEOCKLER LADDER WITH TRANSPORT WHEELS Filed March 17 1967 United States Patent 3,396,815 LADDER WITH TRANSPORT WHEELS Frederick M. Gleockler, Cherry Hill, N .J. (Road 1, Ridgely, Md. 21660) Filed Mar. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 623,919 2 Claims. (Cl. 18217) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A ladder having a pair of wheel connected to the lower end of one ladder stile and disposed on opposite sides of the plane of the ladder, spaced therefrom and parallel thereto, on which the ladder can be readily transported or moved without lifting by tilting the ladder, while in an upright position, about the axis of the wheels and parallel to the plane of the ladder for elevating the other ladder stile and so that the weight of the ladder will be disposed over the wheels. The other ladder stile having a foot member extending laterally from its lower end and terminating in alignment with one of the wheels to function with said wheel as foot members on which the ladder rests when in a normal inclined position for use.

Background of the invention The present invention relates to an attachment for an otherwise conventional ladder such as straight ladders, ladders equipped with props, or extension ladders, and provides an attachment enabling the ladder to be readily moved on wheels without being lifted completely off the ground and wherein one of the wheels functions with a stationary member to provide supporting feet for the ladder when in an inclined operative position.

The prior art discloses ladders equipped with wheels to facilitate movement of the ladders. However, the wheels of such ladders do not prevent movement of the ladder while in an inclined position and do not provide a fixed stable support for the ladder when in an inclined position for use.

Summary It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a ladder having means for providing a stable support for the ladder when in a normally inclined position for use and which ladder is equipped with a pair of wheels on which it may be moved or transported when tilted from an upright position along a plane coinciding with the plane of the ladder, for positioning the weight of the ladder over the wheels, which are disposed on opposite sides of the plane of the ladder and spaced outwardly therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an attachment wherein the wheels are associated with the lower end of one stile of the ladder and a stationary bar member is attached to the lower end of the other ladder stile to function with one of the wheels to provide feet on which the ladder rests when inclined in a normal manner for use.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing illustrating presently preferred embodiments thereof, and wherein:

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a ladder equipped with the transport wheels and stationary foot member;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the lower portion of the ladder of FIGURE 1, shown extended and in a normal inclined position for use;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, front elevational view showing the lower portion of a straight ladder equipped with the invention.

Description of preferred embodiments Referring more specifically to the drawing, FIGURES 1 to 3 illustrate a ladder 6 of the prop type including ladder stiles or side rails 7 and 8 which are connected by a plurality of rungs 9. A rod 10 extends between the upper ends of the stiles 7 and 8. A prop 11 includes prop elements 12 and 13 having upper ends swingably mounted on the rod 10 inwardly of and adjacent the stiles 7 and 8. Said prop elements converge downwardly and have lower ends which are secured in abutting engagement by a fastening 14. The aforedescribed parts are of conventional construction.

The attachment comprising the invention and designated generally 15 includes a pair of rigid strap members 16 which are disposed against front and rear sides of the stile 8, as seen in FIGURES 2 and 3, and secured thereto by fastenings 17. Lower ends of the strap members 16 extend below the lower end of the stile 8 and have aligned openings 18 through which an axle 19 extends. Wheels 20 and 21 are journaled on the ends of the axle 19' and are spaced outwardly from and disposed on opposite sides of the plane of the ladder 6. Collars 22 may be secured on the axle 19 against the strap members 16 to prevent the axle from sliding relative to said strap members to maintain the wheels 20 and 21 spaced from the stile 8, or the axle may be fixedly disposed in the strap members.

The attachment 15 also includes an elongated rigid bar 23 of rectangular cross section which is disposed against the outer side of the lower end of the stile 7' and crosswise thereof and which is secured to the stile by a fastening 24. A brace 25 has one end secured to the bar 23 by a fastening 26, near an end 27 of said bar. The other end of the brace 25 is secured to the stile 7 by a fastening 28 above and spaced from the fastening 24. The bar end 27 is disposed in alignment with the wheel 20 and the other bar end 29 is disposed in alignment with the wheel 21, as seen in FIGURES 2 and 3.

FIGURE 4 illustrates the lower portion of a conventional straight ladder 30, composed of stiles or side rails 31 and 32 which are connected by rungs 33. The lower ends of the side rails or stiles are flared outwardly, as is conventional, to provide a more stable support for the ladder when in use. The lower end of the ladder 30 is equipped with the transport attachment 15. The unit composed of the strap members 16, axle 19 and wheels 20 and 21 is attached to the lower end of the stile 32 in the same manner as previously described in connection with the stile 8, and the bar 23 and brace 25 are attached to the lower end of the other stile 31 in the same manner as heretofore described in reference to the stile 7.

The ladder 6 is opened and inclined for use by swinging the prop 11 away from the body of the ladder so that when the ladder is tilted away from its position of FIG- URE 1, it will assume its position of FIGURE 2 with the body of the ladder at an incline, as is conventional, and with the lower end of the prop 11 resting on the ground 34 at a point spaced a distance from the lower end of the body of the ladder. With the body of the ladder thus disposed, the axle 19 and bar 23 will be inclined so that the wheel 20 and bar end 27 will rest on the ground, while the wheel 21 and bar end 29 will be elevated. Thus, the wheel 20 and bar end 27 form foot members on which the body of the ladder rests while in use and which will afford a stable immovable support. The ladder 30 can be inclined in the same manner with its upper end, not shown, resting against any suitable support and with its lower end supported by the wheel 20 and bar end 27. It will be noted that the wheel 20 and bar end 27 are spaced a greater distance from the plane of the body of the ladder 6 than the wheel 21 and bar end 29. Thus, the prop 11 could be swung to the other side of the body of the ladder and the ladder rested on the wheel 21 and bar end 29 when inclined in the opposite direction to FIGURE 2, and the ladder 30 may be similarly inclined so as to rest on the wheel 21 and bar end 29.

When it is desired to move the ladder 6 or the ladder 30, said ladder is positioned in an upright position, as seen in FIGURE 1, or in ful lines in FIGURE 4. The ladder is then tilted to the right about the axle 19 as a pivot so that the weight of the ladder will be substantially balanced over the axle 19 and the bar 23 and the stile 7 or 31 elevated. As thus disposed, the ladder may be readily rolled along the ground 34 on the wheels 20 and 21 to a new location by merely pushing the ladder and without lifting it.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A transport attachment for a ladder comprising an axle connected to the lower portion of one stile of a ladder and disposed crosswise of the plane of the ladder, wheels journaled on the ends of the axle, said wheels being spaced from, disposed parallel to and on opposite sides of the plane of the ladder whereby when the ladder is tilted laterally from an upright position about said axle as a pivot the ladder will be supported for movement on said wheels with the other ladder stile elevated, a rigid bar fixed to the lower end of the other stile of the ladder and disposed crosswise thereof, said bar having one end disposed in alignment with one of said wheels, and said bar end and wheel forming foot members on which the ladder rests when in an inclined operative position with the other wheel and other bar end elevated.

2. An attachment as in claim 1, and said other bar end being disposed in alignment with the other wheel to form a second set of foot members for supporting the ladder inclined in the opposite direction, said second set of foot members being spaced a different distance from the plane of the ladder than the first set of foot members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,73 6,501 11/1929 Macklern 1821 29 2,902,110 9/1959 Eickholdt 182-36 3,074,507 1/1963 Pelky 182-127 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primal/y Examiner. 

